What Was The Louisiana Purchase

At the conclusion of the French and Indian War, Spain formally takes possession of the Louisiana Colony as stipulated in the Treaty of Paris in 1763. France had secretly transferred Louisiana to Spain in 1762 with the Treaty of Fountaineblue. “By the end of the French period of Louisiana, New Orleans was a commercially prosperous, self-sustaining city, trading all across the French commercial system” (Wall, p. 65). It had become a major port city for importing and exporting products. With the transfer of rule from France to Spain, the Louisiana colony would experience some social, political, cultural and economic consequences.

In “When the Ends Justify the Means,” Barry J. Balleck debates that President Jefferson did not abandon his political ethics by purchasing the Louisiana Territory (P. 14). Balleck states that the Louisiana Purchase was “the greatest achievement of Thomas Jefferson’s presidency” (P. 14). With the addition of the new territory to the United States, President Jefferson secured the nation “for generations, if not centuries to come” (P. 14). Jefferson was confident that purchasing the Louisiana Territory would encourage the development of an upright Republican populace (P. 14). Surprisingly, he had many reservations about his authority to purchase Louisiana, but that did not stop him from laying the treaty before Congress (P. 19). He also knew that, by purchasing Louisiana, the Federalists power might be lost, but he still pushed forward with the treaty (P. 19). Although many historians criticize President Jefferson for giving up his most visible political convictions by purchasing Louisiana, he knew that it would double the size of the United States and ensure much land expansion for the country (P. 20). He strongly believed that the new territory was “essential to national security” (P. 21). In President Jefferson’s mind, purchasing Louisiana secured the “virtues of Republicanism in an ‘Empire of Liberty’” (P. 22). “The Louisiana

The Louisiana Purchase was a beneficial impact to the United States. In 1803 during Thomas Jefferson's presidency

Thomas Jefferson had mixed emotions about the Louisiana Purchase. On one hand, he knew it would be a grand opportunity, and the United States would be assured free navigation of the Mississippi River. Also, it would double our nation in size and be considered one of the largest, if not the largest, land transaction in history. On the other hand, he was conflicted whether or not to buy the Louisiana Territory because of guidelines set forth in the Constitution. The Constitution did not specifically

Americans were able to ship their goods peacefully through New Orleans until 1801. Thomas Jefferson had found out that Spain had secretly given France New Orleans and the Louisiana Territory. The French ruler Napoleon Bonaparte was trying to conquer all of

Jefferson, himself, carefully deliberated whether the Constitution granted him the right to acquire territory for the purpose of expandi the Union. He reflected on the possible need for an amendment to the Constitution to justify the action. Finally, under intense pressure, he allowed the purchase and set an important precedent. His action established the power of the president to expand the borders of the United States under the existing powers of the Constitution. Despite the economic and political implications of the Louisiana Purchase, the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) had more significant historical implications on this time period.

Though the Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States, the President had incorporated a great deal of territory into the Union. Jefferson was not expecting this territory, though he authorized its purchase. As a result, this purchase was unconstitutional because Jefferson did not have the right to ratify the purchase, the House and the Senate did. Even though the House and Senate could not resist this opportunity for such land gain, Jefferson had exemplified Federalist ideals by giving great power to the

The Louisiana Purchase was a land sale between France and the United States in the year of 1803. In our history it is known as one of the largest land transactions to ever occur. The United States Congress decided to pay, “approximately $15 million dollars to France for over 800,000 square miles of land”. (www.thoughtco.com/jefferson-and-the-louisiana-purchase-104983) This became Thomas Jefferson’s greatest accomplishment through his presidency. By achieving this purchase it also posed a huge problem for the president. He knew the purchase would not be easy as it brought many dilemmas for him. His strong beliefs in “strict constructionism” brought about problems with the Constitution and money issues while trying to purchase. As well as hypocritical arguments with Alexander Hamilton over their opposed views.

The purchase of Louisiana between France and the United States changed America forever. However, the Louisiana Purchase posed several significant moral dilemmas for President Thomas Jefferson because of Jefferson's belief in "strict constructionism", the government conflicts that arose, and the concern of how the people and states would come into the Union.

President Jefferson’s major personal moral dilemma was actually purchasing the territory of louisiana from the french. Jefferson was a strong Democratic-Republican. This party was founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, This party was created in opposition of the federalist party which was led by Alexander Hamilton. The Democratic-Republican party believed that a strong central national government would deplete and completely rid the rights of states. The party strongly disapproved of the national Bank Of The United States stating that the bank was taking away power that belonged to the states. Among many of the views of the Democratic-Republican the strongest belief was to strictly abided by the constitution, so when the opportunity arose to purchase the French owned territory, the constitution did not state whether the government could or could not acquire any new land

The Louisiana Purchase shaped America. This was a huge amount of land between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains. It enlarged America. The Louisiana Purchase was of important significance because it shaped the culture as well as the political map of America (The Louisiana Purchase). The Louisiana Purchase provided a great deal of interest due to the connection and vital role it would play in the emergence of the American economy. The Purchase would be beneficial for importing and exporting of goods and services for the states it

At first the United States wanted to buy only New Orleans and the land around it. The purchase met with the strong opposition in the United States on account of being unconstitutional. Those accusations were correct to some extent. President Jefferson couldn’t deny that the Constitution of the United States did not provide for buying new territories but still he decided to proceed with the purchase since the removal of French presence in the region was such an important issue.

Through this weeks lecture, there are many questions asked that allow for room to reflect and process the information we are being taught today and what we may be able to remember from past education. When asked to reflect on what I specifically remember in regards to Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase, I must admit it was not so much focused on the purchase of the land and what that meant for the future, rather it brought many topics, such as, was this purchase constitutional, was it simply creating more debt, a start to an inevitable war with Spain, or even an expansion of slavery. However, it is now understood that the Louisiana Purchase was not only the largest purchase of land, it was also the cheapest. Once the country nearly

The Louisiana Purchase is the biggest exchange of land in history. Jefferson’s acquisition of this big piece of land doubled the United States’ size for 15 million dollars. The Louisiana Purchase would have not happen without Napoléon’s loss of interest in the french american empire. At the time, Thomas Jefferson was in office,the president’s political beliefs opposed this to happen, what convinced him? As the United States started to expand, gaining alliance with the most powerful forces on the planet, business and influence started to flourish. New Orleans became the most diverse place in the country both socially and politically.

The United States was interested in the purchase of Louisiana for a number of reasons; to protect the citizens’ of the United States right to trade through the Port of New Orleans, to ensure that the British did not establish a new colony in the new land, and to allow the United States’ farmers and merchants to move westward. In 1682, the French discovered a large piece of land in North America which they named Louisiana after their king, King Louis XVI. Following the French and Indian War, King Louis XVI thought this land was a useless piece of uncharted wilderness. The king decided to give this enormous section of land to his cousin, King Charles III of Spain as a “reward” for Spain’s support